Pole setting apparatus



Aug. 8, 1933. N. M. ERDAHL V POLE' SETTING APPARATUS Filed March 13, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet q1 Aug. 8, 1933. N. Mf-ERDAHL.

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centrally, at ulerront end of the vehicle ls the l holes for telephone poles, fence posts and they Patented VAug. 8, 1933 1,oz1,s1z roLE sE'r'rmG APPARATUS mellow M. Ernani, Edgerton, wie., assigner to' Highway Trailer Company, Edgerton, Wis., a

Corporation of Wisconsin Application March 13, 1929. Serial No. 346,656

16 Claims, (Cl. Z55- 22) This invention relates to earthA excavating machines of the portable self-propelled type, having a power driven earth auger, adapted for boring like; the invention more particularly resides in the novel provision of auxiliary mechanism of simplified construction, convenientlyl arranged on the machine, and has for a main object to provide apparatus in the nature of a lierrick for use in conjunction with the boring auger, and adapted for erecting and setting the poles, posts, etc. in the holes immediately following the completion thereof by the earth auger. Another 'object is Vto provide means for guiding the auger shaft throughout its entire range of reciprocatory movement'. A further object resides in the provision of improved means for locking the auger shaft at a plurality of positions of longitudinal adjustment independently of the rotation 4thereof. The invention consists in certainfeatures and elements of construction, in combination as herein shown and described, and as indicated by the claims. l

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying the present invention; parts being broken nir shown in section to show details of construc- `Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevation showing the auger shaft in telescoped relation in the derrick mast.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken substantially centrally through the mast and auger shaft.

.Figure 4 is s. fragmentary transverse section taken centrally through the winding drum of the winch, (with cable omitted) as indicated at line 4-4 on Fig. 1. l v

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section showing the power take off for the winding drum of the winch, (with cable omitted fromthe drum) taken substantially as indicated at line 5-5 on Fig. 4.

Figure 8 is a detail view showing partially in side elevation the casing or head by which the connections for operating said shaft.

Figure ,7 is a detail section taken as indicated at lille "l--7 on Figure 6. 1 A

For the purpose of illustration, the present invention is shown applied to a tractor vehicle, 10, of the self-propelled type, equipped with the usual endless traction belts, 11, trained over 'front and rear sprocket wheelskn and 13 respectively. Mounted on theframe support, 14,y

102, meshes with a ring gear, 104, which is' se- -plnion, 108, and the gear teeth, 107. 'I'he bevel boring head, 15, which includes an auger shaft,

16, having a spiral auger, 17, rigidly secured to its lower end. Said auger shaft is preferably rectangular in cross section, and has one face formed as a toothed rack, 18, by means of which the shaft and its auger are longitudinally reciprocated for feeding into the earth, or for raising it upon completion of the hole. It will be understood that the auger and lits shaft are rotated and reciprocated by suitable drive con 65 nections, (or forming part of thepresent invention,) and a suitable illustration of `a. type of mechanism for accomplishing such movements of the auger andvits shaft is shown in Spowart VPatent; No. 1,511,433, dated oct. 14, 1924.

cured toa transverse flange, 105, formed on the guideway in which the `squared auger shaft, 16, is mounted-for reciprocation. Thus the rotation of the shaft, 100, and its pinion, 102, causes rotation of the auger shaft, 16, and the auger, 17, carried at the lower end thereof. The pinion, 103, meshes with the teeth, 1.06, on the under side of a` gear member journaled for rotation .concentrically with the gear, 10.4. Teeth, 107,

on the upper side of said gear member mesh with a bevelpinion, 108, journaled on a shaft, 109, which is mounted in the ange, 105. Thus the 'rotation of the flange, 105, in turning the auger v shaft, does not interfere with the meshing of the pinion, 108, is integral with a spur pinion, 110, which in turn meshes with the spur gear, 111, integral with a second spur gear, 112, said gears being. journaled also in the flange, 105. The latter is journaled in position to mesh with the rack teeth formed on one face of the square shaft, 16, so that rotation of the gear, 112, serves to move the shaft, 16, longitudinally within the guide, of which the iiange, 105, is a part. The control of shafts, and 101, for lseparate or simultaneous operation to accomplish rotation of the auger shaft, and also longitudinal adjustment thereof in its mounting, may be accomplished by any suitable clutch devices, not shown, forconnecting these shafts with the tractor engine.

The operating levers, 21 and v22, control o the 11- rotary and reciprocatory motions ofthe auger. respectively, through clutches (not shown) which are adapted to be drlvenfrom a main drive gear, 23, which -is meshed with a pinion, 24, mounted on a stub shaft, 25, Journaled in the frame bearing, 26. Secured to the outer end of the stub shaft is a sprocket, 27,' operatively driven by a flexible chain belt, 28, from a sprocket,` 29, carried on. the drive shaft, 30, of the engine, 31. By means of these control levers the auger shaft may be either rotated or reciprocated independently of theother movement, or both movements may be effected simultaneously, as during the boring operation.

Frequently in boring holes, the surface ,of the ground immediately adjacent the place where the hole is to be dug is uneven or sloping, and the machine itself thus cannot be properly positioned for making a vertical boring. For this purpose the entire boring head with its augeris made adjustable about a pair of horizontal axes, disposed transversely of each other, to provide universal" adjustment of the auger. This adjustment also permits boring holes at an angle when the occasion necessitates. The adjustment is made about an axis extending longitudinally of the mahine, by a worm, 34, meshed with a worm segment, 35, secured to the outside of the drive mehanism housing, 36, which is associated and revoluble with the boring head, 15, about said axis; said worm being rigidly secured on an operating shaft, 37, journaled in bearings, 38, rigidly supported on the frame member, 14. The boring head proper is adjustable independently of the housing 36 about a seond horizontal axis extending transversely of the machine, by means of a worm, 39, meshedwith a worm segment, 40, secured to the boring head 15; the worm segment being mounted` on an upright shaft, 41, journaled in bearings, 42, integral with the housing 36. The shafts 37 and 4l each have one end formed as at 43 to receive a suitable crank (not shown) for rotating the worms and securing proper angular adjustment of the boring auger.

Theboring head includes a cast housing, 46, in which is enclosed the usual means for guidance of the longitudinal movement of the auger shaft. Secured on top of saidl housing. is a combination casing and supporting bracket, 47, positioned centrally with respect to the auger shaft; with the upper end of said casing forming a seat for a tubularvmember 48, which is clamped rigidly thereto by the bolts 49. Said tubular member is disposed concentrically of and completely encases that part of the auger shaft extending above the boring head, as may be seen'in Fig. 3. Secured to the upper end of the toothed auger shaft is a guide block or head, 50, slidably engageable with the inner wall of the tubular member 48 for insuring /proper guidance for the auger shaft throughout its complete rangev of longitudinal reciprocatory movement. This feature is of considerable importance in that it reduces the wear ly hard substance in the course of operation. Borlodge itself from the auger. In this position of' the auger, the major portion of the auger shaft extends above the, guide means in the housing 46,V

and of course, the unusual speed of rotation greatly increases the tendency for the upper end ofthe shaft to whip. These disadvantages are substantially overcome by the present provision .of guidance for the upper end of the shaft.

supported in the boring head housing 46 is alv revoluble carrier for the driving mechanism, (not shown) including an upwardly extending cylindrical frame part, 55, surrounding said shaft, and

bodily rotatable therewith. Threaded on the upper end of said frame part is a latch supporting block, 56, having a latch or pawl, '57, pivoted therein at 58, in positionto engage the rackteeth 18 of the auger shaft. A tension spring, 59, is secured to' said block and pawl, and normally tends to urge said pawl into tooth engaging position. Integral with said pawl is a trip linger, 60, which is adapted to be moved downwardly by an operating ring, 61, to move the latch out of engagement with the teeth of the rack. Said operating ring is provided with ya pair of diametrically opposite pins, 62, projecting through cam slots, 63, formed in the cylindrical wall of the casing 47. One oi?` said pins has a handle member, 64, and by rotation of this handle the operating ring iscaused to move in an axial direction. Thus as the ring moves downwardly,l it is caused tov impinge against the trip finger, 60,-

the trip nger, regardless of the angular position of said flnger. The block 56 is formed with an upwardly extending abutment, 65, positioned to engage the underside of the guide block 50 for limiting the downward movement of the auger shaft.

The tubular guide member 48 also serves as a mast or boom, forming a part of a derrick apparatus. Rigidly secured in the upper end of the tubular mast is the supporting bracket, 70, for the head sheave 7l, over which is trained a ilexible cable, 72. The end of said cable is provided with a hook, 73, to facilitate securing the cable to the objects, such as poles, posts, etc., 'for holsting them. The other part of the cable extends downwardly and around the sheave 74, and thence is wound` around the drum, 75of the power winch. Said sheave 74 is mountedl on bracket, 76, which is secured to the boring head, so as to be movable with said mast, and insure proper trainment of the cable on and off the drum at all times. The winding drum of the winch is positioned on top and about centrally of the machine and is rigidly. mounted on a vertical shaft, 77, journaled in a worm gear housing, 78, which is mounted on a supporting bracket,

79, mounted on the tubular member, 80, which houses the power drive connections from the engine to the boring head.

Keyed to the lower end of the shaft 77 is a worm gear, 81, meshed with a worm 82, mounted on a horizontally extending shaft, 83, journaled in said worm gearing housing. A coupling, 84, connects shaft 83 with an axially aligned shaft, 85, journaled in a housing 86, and feathered on said shaft 85. Inside the housing is a gear, 87, adapted to be axially shifted into or out of mesh with the main driving gear23 by a-shifting fork, 88, secured to a horizontally extending shifting rod, 89. Said rod is provided with a pair of longitudinall'y. spaced notches, 90, adapted to be selectively engaged by a detent plug, 91, slidably seated in a recess, 92, in the housing, 86, and yieldingly urged upward by a spring 93. Thus the detent yieldingly maintains said winch driving gear in or out of mesh with the main gear 23 for controlling the paying in or out of the cable.

It will be apparent that in my combination machine I have arranged the derrick apparatus in a simple, compact and convenient manner, utilizing the tubular member for the dual purpose of a mast and auger shaft-guide. The mast, being rigid with the boring head, Jis adjustable therewith about both horizontal axes; thus, the mast may be frequently used advantageously in hoisting and setting the poles, posts, etc. especially in instances where the machine is resting on sloping or uneven ground, the mast thus being capable of adjustment to reduce the leverage and excessive straining of parts.

This combination machine is a great labor and time saver, and is 'especially useful in building andmaintaining telephone'or telegraph systems, road fences and the like. The machine, after being brought to the proper location, first bores the hole; then the derrick is employed for hoistlng the pole and setting it in the hole under some manual guidance if necessary. Thus, the operation is efficiently performed in an expeditious manner. A machine of this character may also be advantageously employed `in reset work, or in dismantling an Aold line of a telephone or telegraph system. Due to the adjustability of the boring head, the mast with the auger shaft may be rearwardly inclined, as indicated .at A in Fig. 1, so as to reduce the overall height to a minimum in travelling from place to place.

I claim:

l. An earth boring machine including aboring head angularly adjustable about a pair of transverse axes, an auger shaft carried by the head and movable therewith, said shaft being adapted I to have positive rotary and longitudinal reciprocatory motion imparted thereto, and locking means independent of the means for imparting said motion for securing said shaft at will at a plurality of positions of longitudinal adjustment.

2. An earth boring machine including a boring head,.an auger shaft carried by the head,

providedwith a toothed rack, and arranged to have rotary and longitudinal reciprocatory motion imparted thereto, and means for locking said shaft at a plurality of positions of longitudinal adjustment, said means including a latch member engageable with the rack teeth, a fixed casing member on the boring head, an operating ring disposed in the casing and having features interengaging therewith, whereby the rotation of said ring causes movement of said latch out of engagement with the rack teeth.

3. In the combination defined in claimV 2, s aid ring having a plurality of outwardly projecting pins and the casing having oblique cam 4slots in which said pins are engaged for causing axial movement of the ring when it is rotated and thus shifting the latch with respect to the rack teeth.

Vand adjustable therewith, a winch, and a flexible v winch.

4. In the combination defined in claim 2, means yieldingly urging said'latchmember toward the rack teeth.

5. In the combination defined in claim 2, a fixed support for the latch, having an upwardly extending lug, said shaft having a cooperating stop piece, adapted to abut against said, lug for limiting the downward movement of the auger shaft.

6. An earth boring machine, including a boring head angularly adjustable about a pair of transverse horizontal axes, a longitudinally movable auger shaft carried by the head; a derrick including a hollow tubular mast mounted on said boring head, concentrically with and encasing the upper portion of the auger shaft, a winding drum, a sheave mounted on the top of the mast, a second sheave mounted adjacent the base of the mast, and a exible cable trained over said sheaves and directed onto the winding drum.

'1. An earth boring machine including a boring head, an auger shaft carried by said headand adapted to have both rotary and longitudinal reciprocatory motion imparted thereto, and means independent of the means for providing said motion to the auger shaft and operable at will for 100 locking said auger shaft at a plurality of positions of longitudinal adjustment.

8. An earth boring machine including a boring head, an auger shaft carried by said head and adapted to have both rotary and longitudinal re` 105.

ciprocatory motion imparted thereto, and means independent of the means for providing said inotion to the auger shaft for locking said shaft at a plurality of positions of longitudinal adjustment, said locking means being operative irrespective of the rotative position of the shaft.I

9. An earth boring machine including an 'angularly adjustable boring head, an auger shaft carried by the head and adapted to have rotary and longitudinalA reciprocatory motion thereto, and guide means associated with the upper portion of said shaft for maintaining it in substantially true alignment throughout its entire range of longitudinal movement, said guide means including a tubular `member mounted on the boring head and surrounding the auger shaft, and a guide block secured to the shaft and having sliding contact with the inner wall of the tube.

' 10. An earth boring machine including an angularly adjustable boring head, an auger shaft carried by the head and movable therewith and adapted to have rotary and longitudinal reciprocatory movement imparted thereto; a derrick including a mast mounted on the boring head cable operatively associated with the mast and the Winch.

11. An` earth boring machine including a boring head angularly adjustable about a pair of transverse horizontal axes, an auger shaft carried by the head and, adapted to have rotary and longitudinal reciprocatory movement imparted thereto; a derrick including a mast mounted on the boring head and movable therewith, a winch, and a flexible cable operatively associated with 14g the mast and the winch. 12. An earth boring machine including a boring head, a longitudinally reciprocable auger shaft carried by the'head and adapted to have rotary and longitudinal reciprocatory movement imparted thereto; a derrick including a hollow mast mounted on the boring head concentrically about said shaft, a winch, and a flexible cable operatively associated with said mast and the` 15o imparted 115 .able auger shaft carried by the head and adapted to have. rotary and longitudinal reciprocatory movement imparted thereto; a derrick including a hollow tubular mast mounted on said head and disposed concentrically about said shaft, a winch, and a flexible cable operatively associated with the mast and the winch.

14. An earth boring machine including a boring head angularly adjustable about a pair of transverse horizontal axes, a longitudinally movable auger shaft carried by the head, a derrick including a hollow tubular mast mounted on the head and disposed concentrically about said shaft, a winch, a flexible cable operatively associated with the mast and the winch, and guide means including a head secured to the upper end of the shaft slidably engageable with the inner wall of said hollow mast for guiding the shaftthroughout its entire range of longitudinal movement.

1,921,812 y Y v 15Q\An earth boring machine includingV a boring head angularly adjustable about .a pair of transverse horizontal axes. a longitudinally movable auger shaft carried by the head, a den'ick including a hollow tubular mast mounted on said head and disposed concentrically about said shaft, a winch, a iiexible cable operatively associated with the mast and the winch, and locking means on the boring head for securing said auger shaft in a plurality of positions of longitudinal adjustment irrespective of the angular hollow mast.

16. In a machine of the class described, a boring head 'angularly adjustable about longitudinal and transverse axes; an auger shaft carried by said head and adapted to have either or botti rotary and longitudinal reciprocatory motion imparted thereto, and means for positively guiding the upper end of said shaft throughout its entire range' oflongitudinal movement.

NICHOLAI 1u. ERDAHI..

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